What it is
n8n is the open-source workflow automation tool that won the Zapier-vs-Make-vs-n8n race for AI-native ops teams. Self-host for free or run their cloud. Visual workflow builder with first-class AI agent nodes, code nodes (Python/JS), and a marketplace of 9,000+ community templates.
Why it shows up in every RevOps stack
- AI agents are first-class. The AI Agent node connects any LLM (Anthropic, OpenAI, Mistral, local) to tools, memory, and structured output. You build a real agent in 10 minutes, not 10 hours.
- MCP support. n8n can act as both an MCP client (calling external MCP servers) and an MCP server (exposing your workflows to Claude/Cursor as tools). One node bridges your stack to any agent.
- Self-hostable. Run on your own infrastructure for free, no per-execution fees, no data leaving your perimeter. The only ops automation that stays unchanged when finance asks “what does this cost at scale?”
- 9,000+ templates. The community library covers the most common patterns. Lead routing, enrichment loops, Slack-to-CRM, Stripe-to-data-warehouse — start from a template, customize.
Pricing
- Self-hosted Community Edition — free, MIT-licensed
- Self-hosted Enterprise — paid, adds SSO, RBAC, log streaming, audit
- Cloud Starter — from $24/mo, 5K executions
- Cloud Pro — from $50/mo, 10K executions, advanced features
- Cloud Enterprise — custom
The self-hosted free option is genuinely production-ready, which is rare.
Best for
- RevOps and Marketing Ops building automation that touches multiple systems
- Teams adopting MCP and wanting one orchestration layer that exposes workflows as tools to AI assistants
- Cost-sensitive teams that hit Zapier’s per-task pricing wall
- GTM engineers who want code nodes when the no-code UI runs out
Watch-outs
- Self-hosting has a real ops cost — Postgres, queue worker, monitoring. Cloud is the right answer for most teams under 50 people.
- The visual builder shines for moderate complexity; for high-complexity workflows, code nodes are the answer (don’t fight the UI)
- Templates vary in quality. Read the workflow before importing.